1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systems and methods for accessing the Internet using an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and specifically to authenticating and authorizing users to use the ISP resources and services.
2. Background and Objects of the Present Invention
The confluence of two forces, deregulation and the impact of the Internet Protocol (IP), are making possible a horizontal segmentation of the telecommunications market. Earlier attempts to horizontally slice the telecommunications markets by liberating terminals and long distance have proven to be slow and rather non-convincing to the subscriber.
Today, the unbundling of the local loop, and the separation of the services from the infrastructure, together with the advent of IP, has thoroughly altered the relationship between the subscriber and the service provider. Transparent IP-based networks provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which permit exchange of service and accounting policies between network segments, have allowed a physical dislocation of the subscriber from the ISP. Thus, permitting an operator to have subscribers anywhere, and in almost any network in the world.
For example, new customer segments can be created along criteria other than physical location, such as nationality, corporate affiliation, religion, culture, specific interests, etc. In addition, IP-based Virtual Private Networks (VPN) can be easily created to cater for scattered individuals and groups.
The key to this ultimate separation of the services from the infrastructure is the existence of a local Policy Enforcement Point (PEP). The PEP is responsible for enforcing policies with respect to authentication of subscribers, authorization to access and services, accounting and mobility, etc. Normally, the PEP would be located in a local access server or edge router of the ISP. However, implementing the PEP at the edge router typically requires substantial investments and many practical arrangements with, and dependency of, local access providers concerning policy enforcement.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to reduce the investment cost for ISPs implementing a PEP.